Simulation of East African precipitation patterns with the regional climate model CLM

Climate simulations for East Africa have been performed with the regional climate model CLM. Here we evaluate the quality of simulated precipitation by comparing it with observations. Different schemes for convection and Cloud ice have been tested in order to determine the configuration with best representation of precipitation patterns for the region. The simulated seasonal behaviour of precipitation is reasonable in all configurations, whereas absolute values are strongly influenced by the selected schemes. Best agreement with observations is achieved with the Tiedtke mass-flux convection scheme in combination with a two-category Cloud ice scheme, that considers cloud ice as an additional solid form of water. With the Kain-Fritsch convection scheme the model generally overestimates precipitation. Regional differences are discussed.